Ferruzzi chosen for Purdue Agricultural Research Award

May 7, 2013

The
glass on an exhaust hood serves as a convenient place for Mario Ferruzzi to
record scientific data in the lab. (Purdue Agricultural Communication photo/Tom
Campbell)
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Professor of food and nutrition
sciences Mario Ferruzzi will receive Purdue University's 2013 Agricultural
Research Award for his work in helping to improve food quality and human health
and to reduce chronic disease.

The award is given each year to a faculty member in the
College of Agriculture with less than 18 years of experience beyond a doctoral
degree. It is for scientists who have demonstrated a high level of excellence
in research and made significant contributions to agriculture, natural
resources and quality of life for Indiana citizens.

"Mario has made exceptional contributions to
understanding how food matrix and processing factors affect nutrient absorption
from our food, and his work can lead to the further development of functional
foods to improve human health," said Jay Akridge, Glenn W. Sample Dean of
Agriculture. "He is most deserving of our college's top research
award."

Ferruzzi
will receive the award Monday (May 13) at 10:30 a.m. EDT in the Deans
Auditorium at Pfendler Hall on the West Lafayette campus.

Ferruzzi's work will help the food industry develop
products of improved nutritional and functional quality, said Karen Plaut,
associate dean and director of Agricultural Research at Purdue.

"Dr. Ferruzzi's research has an impact on fundamental
and applied aspects of both food science and nutrition as he works to identify
food science strategies that will contribute to improving human health and
reducing chronic disease risk," she said.

Ferruzzi's expertise has helped him develop and apply
analytical methods for quantifying bioactive food components and phytochemicals
in food, and assessing their bioavailability and distribution to body tissues.
His findings have improved the understanding of the role that phytochemicals can
have on human health, including diabetes, heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer's
disease.

Ferruzzi said the award is an acknowledgement of the many
team efforts that have involved his work.

"This is an individual award that is not individual
in any way," he said. "We don't write grants in isolation, we don't
do research in isolation, and we don't even get ideas in isolation anymore.

"Collectively, we can do a lot of really good things
together. I'm a prime example of that. I've made good decisions about the areas
I've worked on, about how we've worked on them and how we've pursued the
funding, and this award says good things about the collaborations I've been
lucky enough to be a part of. "

After earning his master's degree in 1998 and Ph.D. in 2001
in food science and nutrition at Ohio State University, Ferruzzi spent nearly
three years in product research and development with Nestlé in the U.S. and
Switzerland before joining the Purdue faculty in 2004.